Except that the small chance of rain that the weather station called for became almost a n all day affair, the day was most pleasant. Dad came with us and he really enjoyed himself. When we arrived we had breakfast- French toast- and then set up the booth. The rain from the night before had filled some tents tops with water but there was a craft angel going around with a bucket, emptying them before the crafters even arrived. We weathered the weather overnight just fine and except that a display finally tipped over, all went well. Sales were brisk, and if the rain had held off I really think I would have sold as much on Sunday as on Friday and Saturday combined. Even with the rain it was pretty close and overall I was quite happy with my sales. From what I gather from my customers, the last few years has brought them a few different soap makers and while they were very fond of one, the other left quite a bit to be desired. So I had a two-fold battle- converting some from the beloved soap maker to me, and getting those that hated the other to realize I was a different company. I think much of that was accomplished and I think that if I get to return next year I will do even better.
I was also invited to start selling my stuff at a place in Delaware. I still have a little negotiating to take care of, but once that is all finalized I'll post that great information as well. That really means that in the last month I have potentially added three new stores to carry my stuff. I'm really excited about this because the idea of expanding into wholesale and into other markets was a goal for this year and I feel like its really working out.
Clean up at the end was a pain though. You can't bring your car in until everything is clear, and with the rain, and the hill the crafters are on, getting in would be difficult, but getting out would be harder. Dad and C used the rolling cart and pushed and pulled through the field to the parking lot and then loaded the truck. I got the easy job of packing up and keeping watch over the booth. But even with all that work, it only took about an hour to pack, getting us home at a decent hour with the real possibility of catching up on some much needed sleep.
One of my favorite aspects was the fact that a real person came around to ask some survey questions. I often get asked to fill out a written survey, only to return the next year and feel that nothing had been addressed, much less actually read. Sending a real human being around to ask three or four simple questions gave me the ability to speak my mind, but also to feel like someone was actually listening. There is one thing I can say about this show as a crafter I felt loved, and wanted. They want good crafters, they want good people crafting, they want to expand the craft area and expand the experience they give to the festival attendees. I can really tell that these are things they want, that they are striving for, they are not just striving for a new way to make some cash. I'm sure if you polled, not everyone was has happy as me, but you can't make everyone happy all of the time.
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